The first time I saw Real Housewives of Atlanta, it had already completed its first season. I was sitting at my parent’s house during the holidays and happened to catch a marathon on Bravo. I had been a fan of the Housewives franchise for a bit, but had no idea what I was getting myself into with the Georgia peaches whose grand delusions made for a truly unique television appearance. I watched every damn episode that day.

Since the first season, many of the girls have lost their shine. Back then, they were all high rollers. The ATL divas lived the high life, rolling around in Bentleys, splurging on horrendous Louis Vuitton bags, and throwing charity galas for causes they knew nothing about. They were hit hard by the Housewives curse: bankruptcy, divorce, and a lot of other ailments plagued the ladies. However, one cast member seemed to triumph above it all, and everyone loved to hate her for it: NeNe Leakes.

I fell in love with the weave loving lunatic when I first heard her intro: “I don’t keep up with the Joneses, I am the Joneses,” she proclaimed. She was a drama magnet and not afraid to share her self-centered thoughts with the world. She made it clear she was not afraid to hustle. Her star turn on Celebrity Apprentice led to endorsement deals and some serious stacks of paper in her purse. Now, NeNe bids adieu to the ladies that made her famous as she moves to Los Angeles to star in The New Normal, a pilot from TV’s it-boy Ryan Murphy.

NeNe became pals with Ryan when she had a few guest appearances on Glee, and clearly this has paid off. All I can say is this: haters are gonna f*cking hate. NeNe deserves every penny she gets because she’s not afraid to do what it takes. Balenciaga bags and Louboutins ain’t cheap, and Miss Leakes is not expecting a man to foot the bill. In a cute way of saying goodbye to her Atlanta castmates, NeNe tweeted, “I wanna Thank my castmates from the housewives because u ladies definitely helped me n ways u will never b smart enough 2 know.” Condescending and awesome: the way we will remember her! Stay true, baby girl.